Creative Coziness (104)Meet interior designer Mary Douglas Drysdale, whose passion for horseback riding led her to southeastern Pennsylvania. There, she renovated her weekend home—a three-story wood and stone farmhouse—and decorated it based on the home's architectural style. Drysdale faced numerous challenges such as rotted floors and the lack of a kitchen. She improved the functionality of the house by removing walls and using natural light in the rooms.
Then, witness the transformation of a 1950s single-story brick home to a modern two-story showpiece featuring larger rooms with lots of light.
Next, meet Cecily Hudson in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she shares the design of an unusual home that's fondly referred to as the "bowling alley." Built on a 25-foot-wide property where a row house used to stand, the narrow four-level house features unconventional staircases.
Finally, restaurant owner/chef Hans Röckenwagner and his wife, Patti Shin, display their renovation of a 1950s Los Angeles bungalow. The house, once dark and closed-in, now has virtually no interior walls and an entirely new, modern look.
Amish Farmhouse Facts:
- Ceiling too high? Lowering it can be an easy, affordable process.
- The first weather vane adorned the Tower of the Winds, a first century BC octagonal structure built by the astronomer Andronicos in Athens.
- The word stencil is derived from the French word estencler, meaning "to sparkle."
Resources:
The Amish
by Jean Kinney Williams
Pennsylvania Dutch Country Welcome Center
800-723-8824
www.800padutch.com
The People's Place Quilt Museum
800-828-8218
www.ppquiltmuseum.com
Renovated Rambler Facts:
- Remodeling? Some things to consider are legality, cost, feasibility, and benefits.
- Exposure to sunlight reduces heart rate and increases oxygen intake.
- When redesigning your kitchen, make all work centers a maximum of two arm-lengths apart.
- Popular countertop materials include marble, granite, ceramic tile and well-sealed hardwood.
Resources:
Smart Kitchen : How to Create a Comfortable, Safe, Energy-Efficient, and Environment-Friendly Workspace
by David Goldbeck, Merle Cosgrove
The Kitchen Idea Book
by Joanne Kellar Bouknight
Remodel Online : Guide to remodeling anything
www.remodelonline.com
Vertical House Facts:
- Designed to conserve space, row houses first appeared at the turn of the 20th century.
- Average row house width is 35 to 45 feet.
- Some common items made with bird's eye maple are xylophones, drum sticks and bowling pins.
Resources:
A House In The City; A Guide To Buying And Renovating Old Row Houses
by H. Dickson McKenna
Architecture & Design Library: Townhouses
by Ann Rooney Heuer
B4UBUILD.COM Residential Construction Site
Informational site on building and remodeling
www.b4ubuild.com
National Building Museum
202-272-2448
www.nbm.org
Let There Be Light Facts:
- Bungalows were popular in the early 1900s for their artistry and simplicity.
- The origin of the bungalow can be traced to the Indian province of Bengal, where the native dwelling and geographic area had the same root word, bangla or bangala.
- In 1977, the average home size was 1,645 sq. ft., and in 1998 the average home size was 2,190 sq. ft.
- Bold colors direct attention to desired focal points in a room.
Resources:
The New Bungalow
by Matthew Bialecki, Christian Gladu, Jill Kessenich, Jim McCord, Su Bacon
Inside the Bungalow : America's Arts & Crafts Interior
by Paul Duchscherer, Douglas Keister (Photographer)
American Bungalow Magazine
www.ambungalow.com
